All posts tagged Google Glass

At least eight states have introduced bills that would restrict the use of Google Glass while driving. But the proposed measures targeting the company’s hi-tech spectacles have stalled, failing to clear a single chamber.

Google Inc.’s effort to register the word “Glass” as a trademark for its computer-powered glasses appears to have cleared a major roadblock.

As Law Blog reported earlier, Google submitted an application last year for a trademark on just the single word “Glass,” covering computer hardware and peripherals and displayed with the same stylized font featured in its marketing campaign. But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has held up the company’s bid.

In a new development, Google has reached a settlement agreement with two companies that objected to its proposed trademark. Read More »

Google Inc. is trying to register the word “Glass” as a trademark for its computer-powered glasses. But so far, the company and the U.S. trademark office aren’t seeing eye to eye.

Google, which has successfully trademarked the term “Google Glass,” submitted an application last year for a trademark on just the single word “Glass,” displayed with the same futuristic font used in its marketing campaign. But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is holding up the company’s bid.

In a letter to the company last fall, a trademark examiner raised two main objections. One concern was that the trademark was too similar to other existing or pending computer software trademarks that contain the word “glass,” creating a risk of consumer confusion. Read More »

Related News:

While we’re still waiting for the public launch of Google Glass, the number of states proposing restrictions on the use of the wearable computer keeps going up.

Law Blog now counts at least seven states that have introduced bills targeting Glass. The latest ones have emerged from Wyoming and Missouri. And like the others, the measures would ban people from wearing the computer-powered glasses while driving. The other states that have unveiled Glass bills are Illinois, Delaware, West Virginia, New York and New Jersey. Read More »

A cop just stopped me and gave me a ticket for wearing Google Glass while driving! The exact line says: Driving with Monitor visible to Driver (Google Glass). Is #GoogleGlass illegal while driving or is this cop wrong??? Any legal advice is appreciated!! This happened in California.

Rebuttals: The director of the National Security Agency on Tuesday mounted his most vigorous defense of controversial data-surveillance programs before a mostly receptive House intelligence panel. Google, meanwhile, asked a secret surveillance court for permission to say more about its involvement in Prism, challenging a federal gag order. WSJ, WP

Wrinkle in time: Raisin farming may seem straightforward, but it’s a complex industry, beset by rules, regulations and obscure marketing requirements that spring from another time and place. LA Times

Incident reviews: F.B.I. agents fatally shot or wounded about 150 “subjects” from 1993 to early 2011, and every one of those episodes was deemed justified, according to internal F.B.I. records obtained by the New York Times. NYT . . . . Read More »

The traditionalist: Charles J. Cooper, the attorney defending Proposition 8 before the Supreme Court, has avoided discussing this case in the media. Those who’ve worked with the 61-year-old Alabama native say his argument is rooted in deeply conservative views of both the justice system and the historical definition of marriage. WSJ

Admission: The Supreme Court’s decision to hear a new case from Michigan on the politically charged issue of affirmative action offers an intriguing hint that the justices will not use a separate challenge already pending from Texas for a broad ruling bringing an end to the consideration of race in college admissions. AP

Legal spectacles: The stealth nature of Google Glass is raising concerns among some lawmakers and privacy experts who say the device makes it too easy for users to spy on others and its development signals a deeper blurring between the digital and real worlds. CSM . . . . Read More »

Google Glass hasn’t hit the market, but the upcoming release of the head-mounted augmented reality device is already getting overshadowed by privacy concerns.

Now comes news that a Seattle bar is banning customers from wearing Google’s head-mounted smartphone.

The 5 Point Cafe posted a message on its blog declaring that the bar would be a “No Google Glass zone”:

If you’re one of the few who are planning on going out and spending your savings on Google Glasses – what will for sure be a new fad for the fanny-pack wearing never removing your bluetooth headset wearing crowd – plan on removing them before you enter The 5 Point. . . . . . Read More »

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The Law Blog covers the legal arena’s hot cases, emerging trends and big personalities. It’s brought to you by lead writer Jacob Gershman with contributions from across The Wall Street Journal’s staff. Jacob comes here after more than half a decade covering the bare-knuckle politics of New York State. His inside-the-room reporting left him steeped in legal and regulatory issues that continue to grab headlines.

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